There were shoves and punches thrown between players immediately after the game as both teams left the field into the same tunnel. Georgia State Patrol officers intervened, and minutes later Miami's Andrew Bain, apparently dazed, was escorted by officers back out of the tunnel.

Flynn, a sophomore filling in for injured starter JaMarcus Russell, completed 13 of 22 passes for 196 yards with no interceptions. He also rushed for 39 yards and was named the offensive MVP.

Led by Flynn, LSU (11-2) rebounded from its worst game of the year, a 34-14 loss to Georgia in the Dec. 3 Southeastern Conference championship game, returning to the Georgia Dome and delivering one of its strongest performance of the season.

LSU scored on eight consecutive possessions in a streak that started with a field goal late in the first quarter, included two third-quarter scoring drives, and lasted into the final quarter.

Even with a lopsided lead, LSU attempted to add to the rout, successfully faking a field goal while leading 34-3 late in the third quarter and then failing on a fake punt with a 40-3 lead late in the game.

LSU piled up 471 yards, the most allowed by Miami this season. The Hurricanes (9-3) entered leading the nation in pass defense and ranked third in total defense.

TIGERS RALLY: Quarterback Brad Smith rushed for three touchdowns -- including a 1-yarder in the final minutes -- and passed for another to rally the Missouri Tigers to a 38-31 victory over South Carolina in the Independence Bowl.

Smith, who rushed for 1,151 yards and passed for 2,022 this season, accounted for 431 of Missouri's 504 yards as the Tigers staged their biggest comeback victory of the year.

Missouri (7-5) trailed 21-0 after the first quarter as Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks dominated the first half. South Carolina (7-5) outgained Missouri 312 yards to 174 in the first half and held the football almost 11 minutes longer (20:02-9:58).

VIRGINIA WINS MUSIC CITY BOWL:Connor Hughes kicked a 39-yard field goal with 1:08 left, and quarterback Marques Hagans helped Virginia overcome a 14-point deficit to beat Minnesota 34-31 in the Music City Bowl.

Minnesota (7-5) had every opportunity to blow the Cavaliers out and win this bowl for the third time in four years, but the nation's fifth-best offense bogged down after taking a 31-24 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Gophers had one last chance to pull out their fourth straight bowl victory, but Marcus Hamilton intercepted Bryan Cupito's ill-advised pass into double coverage in the end zone with 36 seconds remaining to seal the game for Virginia. It was the Cavaliers' first bowl win since the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl over Pittsburgh.

Virginia (7-5) already had forced the Gophers to punt twice, and Hagans overcame an interception in the fourth quarter to rally the Cavaliers with 10 consecutive points to end the game. He finished with a career-high 358 yards passing.

CHP OFFICER HURT: A California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer was injured Friday when he crashed into another vehicle while escorting the Texas football team, police said.

The officer, whose name was not immediately released, was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police Sgt. Mike Foxen said. The crash occurred as the officer entered an intersection while escorting the Longhorns as they were bound for a restaurant.